A manufacturing CRM, or a general-purpose one?
General-purpose CRMs are built around leads, deals and a sales team, and they do that well. A manufacturer's sale keeps going after the deal: the quote is revised, it becomes an order, and the order is invoiced. This page sets out where the difference shows, and when a general-purpose CRM is still the right choice.
Comparison
| A typical general-purpose CRM | ManufactIQ CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Leads and deals, for a sales team | Enquiries, quotes, orders and invoices |
| Quotes | Often an add-on, a separate tool or a spreadsheet | Built and revised in the CRM, every revision kept, sent as a PDF on your letterhead |
| After "won" | The record usually ends | The quote becomes an order, and the order is invoiced in parts |
| Pricing | Usually per user, per month | Per company, with unlimited records |
| Currency and tax | Often set up for US dollars and sales tax | Pounds sterling and UK VAT out of the box, from a UK company |
Where a general-purpose CRM stops for a manufacturer.
A general-purpose CRM can be made to hold a manufacturer's sales, but usually with a spreadsheet and a quoting tool beside it. Each extra tool is another place for a customer's details to drift out of date.
- The quote lives somewhere elseQuotes with revisions often mean an add-on or a spreadsheet, and the CRM only holds the total.
- The sale vanishes at "won"Once the deal closes, the order and the invoices happen in other systems, and sales cannot see what has been billed.
- Every login costs extraEstimating, the office and accounts all need to see the customer. On per-user pricing, each of them is a cost decision.
When a general-purpose CRM is the better choice.
- Marketing automation is the main jobIf you need email campaigns, lead scoring and landing pages more than quotes and orders, the large CRMs do that well.
- Your sale has no quoteIf customers order from a fixed price list online, an e-commerce system may fit better than any CRM.
- The CRM must sit inside a group systemIf a parent company already runs one CRM across many businesses, fitting into it may matter more.
How per-user pricing adds up.
Count everybody who should see your customers, quotes and orders, then put in what your current CRM charges per user.
Compare it with what you pay now
Move the slider to the number of people who should use the CRM, and enter what your current CRM charges per user.
£181 a month less
That is £2,172 a year, before VAT. Each extra person adds £40 a month on a per-user CRM, and nothing on Premium until you reach 15 users.
Questions manufacturers ask.
Anything else, email support@manufactiq.co.uk, 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.
Can't we just customise a general-purpose CRM?
You can, but quotes with revisions, orders and invoicing often mean add-ons or separate tools beside it, and somebody to keep them joined up.
Why does per-company pricing matter?
Sales, estimating, the office and accounts all need to see the same customer. Per-user pricing makes every extra login a cost decision. ManufactIQ charges one price per company, with a user allowance on each plan and no limit on Pro.
How much does it cost?
Essential is £99 a month for up to 5 users; Premium is £299 a month for up to 15 users; Pro is £749 a month with no limit on users. Prices are per company and exclude VAT, and there is no setup fee. Paid annually, the first year is charged as ten months and every year after as twelve.